stephen kaplan is a lawyer -- steven kaplan is a lawyer, but he specializes in financial mortgage matters. welcome and thanks for being here. guest: thank you, susan. host: the description of one current mortgage disclosure is that they are a quagmire. would you agree? guest: i think that is probably an appropriate description. i think the different types of requirements and up being very confusing and cumbersome and a voluminous amount of paper. voluminous amount of paper. we have disclosures that allow people to shop for different products, so they can take the product that they got from lender "a" and compare it to render "b." other disclosures are informational, like be careful, your house is on the line. it is very difficult for the consumer to understand. host: and the big headline from the "wall street journal" this morning, the "housing is staying stuck." guest: probably the largest issue right now from a housing sales perspective other than qualifying for mortgage loans are the underwriting guidelines that are being applied by lenders. they're very strict. a lot of people are app